Execs from "several major Twin Cities companies are expected to announce as soon as this week their support for a new Vikings stadium," according to Neal St. Anthony of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Business lobbyists and others said that several companies have "pledged $25,000 or more apiece toward the advocacy effort" at the state Legislature, though it is "not believed that the business executives will endorse a specific site or financing proposal." Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Chair Ted Mondale last month "challenged the business community to get more engaged in the process," but St. Anthony notes the issue is "touchy for businesses." There is "no consensus on a new Vikings stadium in the business community, and residents remain deeply divided over how much financing should come from local and state governments." Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton "has yet to weigh in" on a stadium solution, but he has said that any Vikings stadium "can't tap the state's annual operating budget; must require a significant contribution from the team; serve multiple purposes, similar to the Metrodome, and that the public benefit must be linked to public expenditure" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/6).
WHERE TO PUT IT? In St. Paul, Dave Orrick notes there is "still no site" for the proposed stadium. Ramsey County officials more than a month ago said that they were "on the eve of getting into the 'nitty-gritty' details of an Arden Hills location," but there is "questionable progress to show for it." Hennepin County officials "have begun narrowing their focus to a set of Minneapolis properties west of Target Field around the Minneapolis Farmers Market -- and encountering obstacles." A spokesperson this week said that a consultant "submitted estimates to the city of Minneapolis that pegged costs at $17 million to $20 million to relocate the land's current tenants." This combined with "previous estimates, the cost of land acquisition, demolition and relocation would add between $95 million and $168 million to the price tag of building a stadium, generally estimated to cost" $900M. Orrick also notes the Metrodome site has become "a bit of an orphan," and there is "no evidence that any other sites are under consideration." Minnesota state Reps. Julie Rosen and Morrie Lanning, who have been "drafting a stadium bill for months," have said that they "wished the Vikings and a local unit of government would have already agreed upon a site and a financing plan" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/6).
METRODOME TOURS: The Metrodome is "offering visitors a first-hand look at the replacement of its roof." The facility is "open to walk-up visitors April through November, on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays" at 11:00am CT. The first 2,000 people "to take the public tour this season will get a piece of the fabric from the original roof" (AP, 4/6).
